Progress Publicity

One of the oldest tactics in communications is to report the progress of products and organizations.  It results in stories like this.  Some companies don’t believe in progress reporting — notably, Apple, which presents fully developed products to its customers. Progress publicity, however, serves a function.  It keeps stakeholders apprised of a company’s actions and timelines.  It shows proof of performance.  It builds interest and excitement.  It allays fears that an organization might have gone off track.  Such publicity is so taken for a given that few practitioners think about it until a client says no.  Then it becomes an exercise in justification for letting stakeholders know where an organization is in development.